Badhan (Somalia Today) — Elders from a prominent clan in northern Somalia have demanded compensation from the United States following an airstrike they say killed a respected traditional elder, directly challenging Washington’s assertion that the operation targeted an Al-Shabaab weapons smuggler.
The dispute centers on the September 13, 2025, death of Caaqil Omar Abdullahi Abdi Ibrahim, a senior traditional elder of the Warsangeli clan. He was killed near the village of Jicanyo, close to the Ceelbuh district, while travelling toward the town of Badhan.
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) stated on September 17 that it carried out a “precision” airstrike in the vicinity. The command said the operation was coordinated with Somalia’s federal government and targeted “an al-Shabaab weapons dealer.”
But in the rugged Sanaag region, where traditional elders wield significant political and social influence, the US account has sparked anger and disbelief.
At a gathering in Badhan, clan leaders rejected the description of the victim as a militant.
“We expect magdhow (compensation) from those responsible and anyone involved,” said Suldan Saed Suldan Abdisalan, a senior traditional leader. He described the victim as a religious man dedicated to mediation and maintaining peace in the volatile region.
Conflicting intelligence
The incident highlights the often murky intelligence picture in Somalia’s remote northern regions, where the United States leans heavily on air power rather than ground troops.
A report by the Puntland regional Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), cited by local media, appears to support the clan’s grievances. Investigators stated they found no criminal file for the elder in regional security databases.
The CID findings indicated the elder was travelling alone at the time of the strike. The report listed case materials, including a death certificate, vehicle registration, and DNA records, concluding that investigators found no evidence linking him to extremist activity.
Regional officials in Sanaag have also rejected AFRICOM’s characterisation of the target. For the Warsangeli community, the compensation demand is a test of accountability: either the United States “must provide evidence of the target’s guilt or acknowledge a wrongful killing.”
AFRICOM and Somali federal officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the police report or the compensation demands.
The controversy comes amid a sharp escalation in the US air campaign in the Horn of Africa nation.
By early December 2025, US forces had conducted their 105th airstrike in Somalia for the year, far exceeding the previous annual record of 63 set in 2019.
While the bulk of these strikes previously targeted Al-Shabaab insurgents in southern and central Somalia, the campaign this year has pushed north into Puntland, where US forces have targeted a separate insurgency by the Islamic State (IS) group.
AFRICOM says it reviews allegations of civilian harm and publishes quarterly assessment reports on its findings. However, communities in remote areas often struggle to access these channels or assemble the documentation needed to trigger a review.
Political fault lines
The killing of a senior “traditional elder” threatens to complicate an already fragile political landscape in the north.
Sanaag is a contested region, historically claimed by both the semi-autonomous state of Puntland and the breakaway region of Somaliland. The situation has been further unsettled this year by a push to form a new federal member state.
Somalia’s federal government has backed the formation of the “North-Eastern State of Somalia,” formerly known as SSC-Khaatumo. The new entity claims jurisdiction over the Sool, Sanaag, and Cayn regions.
While the federal government in Mogadishu signed off on the airstrike, its authority on the ground in Sanaag remains limited.
Analysts warn that if the death of a prominent elder remains unresolved, it could strain the alliances needed to fight militant groups and turn communities away from cooperation with foreign and federal forces.
